One of the first steps in
civilization, is, distinction of
ranks; and Heraldry, whatever
may have been its original
design, has unquestionably been
found serviceable as the means
of marking that distinction. To
signalize merit, and preserve
the memory of the illustrious,-
are the useful purposes of this
science, which will ever secure
it from contempt ;
notwithstanding that the total
change of the military system in
which it flourished, has tended
greatly to lessen its necessity
and importance. The use of
armorial ensigns is supposed by
Sir John Ferne to have been
derived from the Egyptian
hieroglyphics; and it is
observed by several antiquaries,
that symbols, or devices of
honour, have been adopted by all
nations, and from the earliest
ages, to distinguish the noble
from the inferior. The
conjecture of Sir William
Dugdale, that arms were
first used by great military
leaders, to identify themselves
the easier to their friends and
followers, is not improbable ;
it is related by Homer, Virgil,
and Ovid, that their heroes bore
figures on their shields,
whereby their persons were
distinctly known. But, however
this may be, it is certain that,
in all ages of the world,
symbolical signs of one kind or
other have been adopted, either
to denote the valour of a chief
or of a nation, to render those
who bore them more formidable in
appearance to their enemies, or
to distinguish themselves or
families.

Heraldry, as an art,
flourished chiefly under the
feudal system; and it seems
agreed by the most eminent
antiquaries that the hereditary
use of arms, to distinguish
families, did not commence until
the year 1230.

Coats of arms are thought to
be clearly referable to the
tournaments ; having been then a
sort of livery, made up of
several fillets, or narrow
slips, of stuff of various
colours ; whence originated the
fess, the bend, the pale, &c.
which are supposed to indicate
the manner in which the fillets
were originally worn.

The introduction of Heraldry
into England is referred to the
crusades, which also gave rise,
in many countries, to figures
previously unknown in armorial
ensigns; as, crosses, of various
colours and shapes, allerions,
bezants, &c. About A.D. 1190,
the arms were usually depicted
on a small escutcheon, and worn
at the belt; and the reign of
Richard I. supplies the earliest
illustration in this country of
their being borne on an ordinary
shield; though they are found on
seals of the seventh and eighth
centuries. And here it may be
observed, that the curious
inquirer may gain much heraldic
instruction from the seals
appended to ancient writings,
from illuminated manuscripts,
and from old tombstones and
buildings. The appellation arms
must be ascribed to the fact
that the marks of distinction so
called were chiefly and first
worn by military commanders, on
their shields, banners, or other
martial instruments.

Heraldry, like most other
human inventions, was introduced
and established gradually: from
the rude representation of
particular figures, generally
designed as characteristic of
the bearer, it at length became
a science, methodized and
perfected by the crusades and
tournaments, and, in its
improved state, formed a
conspicuous portion of the
pageants which constituted the
delight of our ancestors in the
middle ages, in their cavalcades
and processions, tilts, jousts,
and all the " form , pomp, and
circumstance, of glorious
chivalry."

The armed knight was known in
all countries by his shield and
crest, the figures on which
marked his family and the nation
to which he belonged. And these
devices not only embellished the
shield and vestment in war, but
were also introduced as the
appurtenances of grandeur and
pageantry in the intervals of
peace. The shield, helmet and
armorial ensigns of the warrior
lord, ornamented the walls of
his castle, where these
honourable trophies acted as a
memento of the past, and a
stimulus for the future. It is
supposed by Nisbet, and other
distinguished writers on
heraldry, that its rules
originated with the conquering
Goths, on the downfall of the
Roman empire ; and in Stuart's "
View of Society," it is
remarked, that a milder race of
the ancient Germans, in the
obscurity of their woods, were
famed for gallantry, and for
manners singularly governed by
the point of honour, and
animated by the virtues of the
amiable sex. To excel in the
achievements of war was their
chief aim; hence the invention
of many insignia connected with
arms, which were never bestowed
on the bearer but with great
formality, as an honourable
token of valour and merit.

These emblems were the
friends of his manhood, when he
rejoiced in his strength; and
they attended him in his age,
when he wept over his weakness.
Of these, the most memorable was
the shield ; it was the
employment of his leisure to
make this conspicuous ; he was
sedulous to diversify it with
chosen colours ; and what is
worthy of particular remark, the
ornaments he bestowed were, in
time, to produce the art of
blazonry, and the occupation of
the herald. To this it may be
replied, that though the first
rude notion of distinctive
colouring may be ascribed to the
ancient Germans, or their
descendants, yet that blazonry,
as an art, must unquestionably
be referred to the French; which
is partly proved by the heraldic
terms still used. In the reign
of Charlemagne, the rage for
personal coats of arms and
hereditary armorial
distinctions, was considerably
increased by the splendour of
his victories; and during the
time of Hugh Capet, heraldry
advanced rapidly towards a
system. The tournaments
contributed essentially to its
general use.

CRUSADES & THE CROSS

Every individual engaged in
the Holy "Wars, had the form of
the cross sewed or embroidered
on the right shoulder of his
surcoat; whence these
expeditions received the
appellation of Crusades. The
cross was used in every possible
variety of colour and form; one
object of which was to
distinguish nations. The white
cross appears to have been, (in
one of the crusades at least,)
peculiar to the English; that of
the French was red; the Flemings
assumed the green cross; and
those who belonged to the States
of the Church were distinguished
by cross-keys. Tasso, Ariosto,
and other poets, contemporary
with different periods of the
crusades, have exemplified the
splendid banners and armorial
ensigns, borne by the nobles who
participated in those romantic
expeditions. The assemblage of
so many different nations during
the crusades naturally led to
the increase of armorial
charges. The cross was used in
forms so numerous as to defy
description. Among these, the
cross fitchée, or pointed at one
end, may reasonably be supposed
to have been the first, on
account of its convenience for
temporary erection in worship,
and from its being promptly
removable.

Amongst other charges
introduced by the crusaders,
were passion-nails, palmers'
shoes, saracens' heads,
crescents, turbans, Moors,
Turks, bezants, (so called from
a coin struck at Byzantium,)
allerions, &c. The very great
number and variety of natural,
artificial, and even chimerical,
figures used in heraldry, are
sufficient to preclude the
possibility of their being all
described or noticed within the
limits of a brief essay.

SYMBOLISM-IN ALL AGES

In all ages, men have
made use of representations of
animals, and other symbols, to
distinguish themselves in war ;
and human ingenuity has
multiplied these marks of
distinction into figures almost
innumerable. The sun, moon,
stars, comets, &c., have been
employed to denote glory,
grandeur, power ; lions,
leopards, tigers, stags,
serpents, cocks, doves, &c.,
have been used as emblems of
courage, strength, swiftness,
prudence, vigilance, peace-
fullness. War, hunting, music,
&c., have furnished lances,
battle-axes, halberds, swords,
pikes, arrows, harps;
architecture- has supplied
towers, castles, columns,
chevrons ; and other arts have
contributed various things that
relate to them. The human body,
or its parts, is of frequent use
; dresses, and ornaments of
various kinds, have also found a
place in armoury ; with trees,
plants, fruits, flowers, and, in
short, almost every possible
figure or thing, whether natural
or artificial ; add to which,
many others, both chimerical and
imaginary ; as centaurs, hydras,
griffins, cockatrices, wyverns,
dragons, salamanders, &c.

EARLIEST ACCOUNT IN ENGLAND

The earliest authenticated
account on record, of any device
being used in England as a mark
of distinction, is to be found
at about the date of the Saxon
conquest. On the establishment
of the Heptarchy, a different
device was assigned to each
principality ; and this was
assumed by each successive
prince, until Edgar ascended the
throne, when he added to the
cross patonce, (which is
presumed to have been his
peculiar ensign,) four martlets
; which number was increased to
five by Edward the Confessor.
After the Norman invasion, we
find the arms of Edward
abandoned for those of the
Norman conqueror ; namely, "
gules, two lions passant, or,"
to these Richard I. added a
third lion, which from that time
became the hereditary bearing of
his successors, and still
continues to be the first and
fourth quarterings of the royal
arms of Great Britain.

WALES-A VERY EARLY PERIOD

Heraldic symbols appear to
have been used at an early
period in Wales. Roderic, Prince
of Wales, in 843, bore, " azure,
a cross pattée fitchée, or." and
Cadwallader, his ancestor, who
died about 690, is supposed to
have borne the same ; which,
indeed, is said to be traceable
to their common ancestor,
Arviragus, A.D. 45!

SCOTLAND

Heraldry was introduced into
Scotland as early, at least, as
into England. Some remarkable
instances of the origin of some
of the Scottish heraldic
ensigns, are related by Nisbet,
to which, however, we must be
content to make reference only.

NORMAN CONQUEST

After the date of the Norman
conquest, heraldry made rapid
progress in England, and the
high estimation in which it was
held is attested by its union
with other arts, especially with
painting and sculpture. The
sculpture of the Saxons,
especially in bas-relief, was
applied by the Normans to
armorial figures. Thus was
heraldry connected with the
lasting monuments of
architecture ; and armorial
devices were undoubtedly painted
in enamel so early as the 12th
century, and probably long
before. There are escutcheons in
several of our cathedrals which
afford specimens of this species
of decoration ; and numerous
armorial illustrations painted
on glass, of the 12th and 13th
centuries, are to be found in
old churches, manor-houses, and
other buildings, as well in
England as in other countries of
Europe.

RICHARD II & III

Several new modes of blazonry
were introduced during the reign
of Richard II. Armorial ensigns
formed a prominent ornament of
the habiliments of the court,
and were frequently repeated on
the bodice, surcoat, and mantle.
Crests and cognizances, (of
which we shall presently speak
more at large,) came now into
very general use, and the custom
of using supporters became more
frequent. Armorial distinctions
were now exhibited on household
furniture, on floors executed in
Mosaic, (as may still be seen in
many of our cathedral churches,)
on plate, monuments, sepulchral
brasses, pilasters, portals to
mansions, coins, and in short on
almost every article to decorate
which they could with any
propriety be applied. In the
reign of Richard III., the
heralds, who until then had been
mere attendants upon the court,
with nominal jurisdiction in
matters of chivalry, were first
incorporated as a collegiate
body.

HENRY VIII-PAGENTS

The pageants which
distinguished the reign of Henry
VIII occasioned great heraldic
display. In the numerous
tournaments, tabards, or coats
of arms, were worn by the
nobility in preference to the
most splendid apparel ; and
cognizances were not only
generally used by the nobles
themselves, but also worn by
their retainers and servants.

REGULATING USE

Many attempts had, before
this date, been made to regulate
the use and assumption-of arms ;
but great confusion still
prevailed. Accordingly, in the
reign of Philip and Mary, a
commission of visitation was
appointed "to correct all false
crests, arms, and cognizances" ;
and two similar commissions were
issued during the same reign.
Arms were now chiefly used in
connexion with architecture,
sculpture, and painting, and for
purposes of domestic decoration.
The mansions of the great
exhibited them on various parts
of the buildings ; they were
placed over the gateway and
above the principal entrance ;
the hall was decorated with them
; and the large projecting
windows displayed escutcheons,
single, impaled, and quartered,
illustrating minutely the
connexions of the family : they
frequently also adorned articles
of furniture, and were
occasionally attached to a
series of family portraits.

During the reigns of
Elizabeth and James, heraldry
continued to be much cultivated.
The more ancient and honourable
in family were most tenacious of
their armorial bearings ; and
distinguishing ensigns were
eagerly sought after by the
wealthy merchant and others,
whose gentility was the result
of their own exertions or
ability. But chivalry had now
lost much of its splendour ; and
a total change had gradually
taken place in character and
manners. Hence, no sooner was
the use of armorial emblems
almost universal, than heraldry,
as an art, began to decline. It
has been suggested, as the chief
cause of this, that the number
and interminable variety of
armorial bearings, occasioned by
their general use, had a natural
tendency to impair the respect
once felt for the comparatively
few, chaste, and simple emblems
of preceding reigns ; and it
must be admitted that there is a
tendency in the human mind to
appreciate things in proportion
to their rarity. Yet,
independently of this, new ideas
and new customs will arise with
successive generations ; and
what has been esteemed for a
series of ages, gradually falls
into disregard, and is at length
treated with disdain.

Visitations continued to be
made during the reigns of
Elizabeth, James I., and Charles
I., and during part of the last
reign, the college of arms was
in high repute, and great
respect paid to its mandates. An
attempt, however, was afterwards
made for its abolition ; but
this tended to an increased
display of armorial ensigns,
especially among the nobility
and gentry who espoused the
royal cause. During the
protectorate of Cromwell, the
Herald's College appears to have
been a nullity ; yet, even then,
the emblems of honourable
antiquity were not disregarded.
Cromwell himself, after he had
gained the supreme command of
the army, exhibited on his
banners and banderols his
paternal bearings, amplified
with numerous quarterings ; and
after his assumption of the
protectorship, his arms were
constantly displayed in the
centre of the national ensigns.

RESTORATION

At the Restoration, the
heralds were reinstated in all
their powers and privileges. In
the succeeding reign, an effort
was made, though ineffectually,
to re-establish the court of
chivalry, and heraldry continued
to be a subject of interest.
Visitations were still made ;
the last of which took place in
1683 ; it being then found to be
most useless to issue commands
without authority to enforce
them, and to threaten
delinquents without the power to
punish them. The times were
changed ; and the dictation
which had been submitted to in
ruder and more warlike ages, was
now neither necessary nor
possible. With the extinction of
this court, therefore,
terminated all power of checking
the assumption of armorial
ensigns, and Heraldry fell
rapidly " from its high estate."
The ordinances which had been
made for regulating the mode of
bearing arms, and who were
entitled to bear them, were soon
disregarded ; they were assumed
ad libitum by persons who
coveted such distinctions ; and
so long as the penal statutes
which had hitherto guarded the
heralds' office continued
inoperative, and confiscations
were not enforced, numbers were
to be found who, defying
ridicule, and under no dread of
punishment, arrogated to
themselves arms of honour and
antiquity, and thus introduced a
confusion which has never since
been remedied.

Thus have we seen that,
though the privilege of using
armorial ensigns was first
limited and select, gradual
encroachments were made, and at
length the custom became so
common, as to impair the
estimation in which heraldry had
before been holden. Every
person, from the emperor to the
mechanic, pretended to something
of the kind, founded on real or
fictitious claims. All trades,
professions, and societies,
ecclesiastical as well as
temporal, assumed particular
emblems ; and these innumerable
pretenders to armorial
distinction, from the date of
which we are speaking, even to
the present day, coupled with
the fact, that the general bent
of men's minds has long since
been turned from the ideal to
the useful, will sufficiently
account for the decadence of
Heraldry, and the decreased
importance of family dignities.

It must be admitted that the
attention of mankind in general
is directed towards much nobler
objects; yet still there are
many who take pleasure in the
study of Heraldry, and cherish
with pride the honourable
emblems which distinguished
their ancestors, and have
descended undefiled to
themselves. The art is
undoubtedly valuable as an
historical record ; and,
although illustrious descent is
but a stigma to a man of
depraved character ; yet to a
respectable and virtuous member
of society it may serve as a
noble incentive, and the fact
that his ancestors were noble or
meritorious will add to the
lustre of his own name. To
distinguish rank, and to
preserve the memory of the
illustrious, are, as we have
before observed, the rational
purposes of this science.

Having now taken a general
view of the origin, progress,
and decline of Heraldry, we
proceed to details connected
with it as a system, and more
particularly to those parts of
it which it is the immediate
object of this publication to
illustrate; namely, the crest,
wreath and motto.

CREST, WREATH, MOTTO

Armorial bearings consist in
the shield and its accessories.
A full coat of arms is made up
of the shield, supporters, crest
and motto. The other accessories
are accidental, and not
universally used, except the
wreath, which may now be said to
form part of the crest. The
helmet must also be spoken of as
an ordinary, though not
indispensable adjunct.

HELMET

In the earliest ages, and the
most barbarous countries, the
historian has found man warring
with his fellow-man, and
provided for this purpose with
weapons of destruction, and
implements of defence. In
studying to protect the human
form, the head must naturally
have been first and most
carefully attended to ; and
accordingly, defensive head-gear
of one kind or other will be
found to have been devised by
all nations in the earliest
period of their history. In this
country, the helmet appears to
have been at first a kind of
cap, of a conical form, composed
of leather or hide, which left
the face unprotected. The form
and substance were gradually
improved ; but it was long ere
they attained the elegant figure
of which head-armour was
afterwards found to be
susceptible. Many of the
earliest helmets, properly so
called, were constructed of a
kind of ring-mail, but without
front, or vizor, which appears
to have been an addition of
later date. The first vizors
opened horizontally, on hinges,
as a door, and it was deemed a
vast improvement when they were
made to lift up and down. These
circumstances are glanced at,
because, by many writers it is
it is supposed, that the
materials of which the helmet
consisted denoted the rank of
the wearer. The helmets of
sovereigns were of burnished
gold, damasked ; those of
princes and lords, of silver,
the bars, breast-plate and
ornaments of gold ; those of
knights, of steel adorned with
silver ; and those of esquires
and gentlemen, of plain polished
steel.

The peculiar form and
position of the helmet have also
long been used to distinguish
rank. Those of the king and
royal family, and of noblemen of
Great Britain, are full-faced
and grated, the number of bars
denoting the quality of the
bearer ; that is to say, the
helmet appropriated to dukes and
marquesses differs from the
royal helmet by having a bar
exactly in the middle, and two
on each side, making five bars
in all; whereas, the king's
helmet has six. There is but one
other kind of grated helmet, and
this has four bars only ; is
placed side-ways, and is common
to all degrees of peerage under
a marquess. The full-faced
helmet, open and without bars,
is peculiar to baronets and
knights ; and the close helmet,
placed sideways, is for all
esquires and gentlemen.

CREST-ORIGIN

There was usually a
projection over the top of a
helmet, which is said to have
been called crista, or the
crest, from its resemblance to
the crest on the head of the
cock and some other birds.
Hence, it is by some supposed,
arose the first idea of the
crest at present used in
heraldry. On this projection,
figures of various kinds,
closely analogous to the present
crests, were frequently worn ;
but as, on the one hand, there
were certainly many helmets
which had no such projection,
so, on the other, none but
heroes of great valour, or of
high military command, had their
helmets surmounted as described.
The origin of the crest,
therefore, must remain, like
that of arms, in obscurity ;
though it is certain that
emblematical or monstrous
figures, either for ornament or
pre-eminence, to mark identity,
or to inspire terror, were worn
by ancient heroes on the tops of
their helmets. The figures thus
used, were of various materials,
as metal, leather, or wood, and
they were fastened to the top of
the helmet.

The date of the first
introduction of crests into
Britain is uncertain. There are
several representations of king
Richard I., with a plain round
helmet on the head, and other
figures representing that
monarch with a kind of crest on
the helmet, resembling a plume
of feathers. After the reign of
Richard I., most of the English
kings have crowns above their
helmets. That of Richard II. was
surmounted by a lion on a cap of
dignity. In later reigns the
crest was regularly borne, as
well on the helmets of the
kings, as on the head-trappings
of their horses.

The Scottish monarch,
Alexander III., had a flat
helmet, with a square grated
vizor, and a plume of feathers
by way of crest. The helmet of
Robert I. was surmounted by a
crown ; and that of James I., in
the fifteenth century, by a
lion. From this period, crests
appear to have been very
generally borne, both in England
and Scotland. Heraldry, indeed,
was then in its most palmy
state, as well on the Continent
as in Great Britain, and was
regulated by ordinances which
embraced an infinitude of
niceties and peculiarities, now
long since neglected, if not
forgotten. The art was certainly
most assiduously cultivated
during the fifteenth and
sixteenth centuries ; at which
time the crest was designated in
heraldry and armour, as the
uppermost part of an armorial
bearing, or that part which
rises over the casque, or
helmet, next to the mantle ; and
in heraldry only, the crest was
described to be, as it still is,
a figure placed upon a wreath,
coronet, or cap of maintenance,
above both the helmet and the
shield.

It were now quite futile to
attempt to determine the
original purpose of crests,
which perhaps were invented for
no other use than that to which
they are still applied, namely,
for ornamental distinction.

The ancient warriors are said
to have worn, as crests, the
representations of animals they
had killed, with the view of
intimidating their enemies ; or
for the purpose of imparting to
themselves a more formidable
appearance, by making them
appear taller or more martial.
Hence, the term crest-fallen is
often used, in a figurative
sense, to express a want of
spirit or courage. The
supposition, however, that the
original purpose of bearing
crests was to identify
commanders in the field, that
they might be known by their
followers in the heat and
confusion of battle, seems the
most reasonable ; and it is
certain that if the use of
crests did not thus originate,
they have been since applied by
sovereigns, as well as military
leaders, to that purpose. Edward
III. was the first king of
England that bore a crest upon
his helmet in the field. The
crest has also been used as the
distinguishing badge of factions
; as the white and red rose of
the houses of York and
Lancaster.

CREST IN ANTIQUITY

Some Heralds trace the
antiquity of the use of crests
to the heathen divinities, who,
they pretend, wore such devices
even before arms were made of
iron and steel. Thus, Jupiter
Ammon, it is said, bore a goat's
head for his crest ; Mars, a
lion or tiger, voiding fire from
the mouth and nostrils ;
Minerva, the mistress of arts
and goddess of victory, bore a
sphynx between two griffins, the
emblem of wisdom and secrecy ;
Proteus, whom the fable
represents to ns in so many
shapes, was a chevalier who
every day changed his crest,
sometimes having the head of a
lion, at others that of a boar,
a horse, a bull, a dragon, &c. ;
whence he was looked upon as a
monster of so many different
forms ; as the first horsemen
were looked upon to be centaurs,
that is, half man, half horse ;
Hercules, for his crest, used
the head of a lion, and with the
skin covered his body : but,
descending to mortals, it is
stated that Alexander the Great
at first adopted a lion for the
adornment of his helmet ; and
afterwards, intoxicated with
flattery and ambition, he
arrogantly called himself the
son of Jupiter Ammon, and as
such assumed the goat's head.
Julius Caesar, it is said, chose
a star for his crest, to denote
his descent from Venus ; at
other times he used the head of
a bull, an elephant, and also of
a she-wolf, by which Romulus and
Remus are feigned to have been
suckled.

CREST-MANE OF HORSE-HAIR

Herodotus attributes the rise
of crests to the Carians,
who, according to his authority,
first bore feathers on their
casques, and painted figures on
their bucklers. The Etruscans
were also celebrated for their
lofty crests, and artists have
given similar additions to the
helmets of the three Horatii.
The mane of horse-hair appended
by the Greeks to the projection
on the top of their helmets, was
called crista, by the
Romans. The part which upheld it
was called payos (sp) by the
Greeks, and conus by the
Romans. Antique helmets were
sometimes divided from the base,
spreading like two horns, while
the interval was filled with the
flowing mane of a horse, and a
plume arose on either side. Such
is the crest of Minerva on Mr.
Hope's fine antique vase, which
contains a painting of the
expiation of Orestes.

CREST-PLUMES

In the ancient tournaments,
the cavaliers had plumes of
feathers, especially those of
the ostrich and heron, by way of
crest; these tufts they called
plumarts, and they were fixed in
tubes, on the top of high caps
or bonnets. Some, however, had
their crests of leather; others
of parchment, pasteboard, &c.,
painted or varnished, to keep
out the weather ; and others, of
steel, wood, tin, or some other
substance that could be
fashioned into shape, and was at
the same time light and
convenient. On these were
sometimes represented a figure
or ordinary of the coat ; as, an
eagle, a fleur-de-lis, &c. ; but
never any of those called
honourable ordinaries, as the
pale, fess, &c.

In some drawings of the 13th
century, several warriors are
represented with a kind of crest
on their helmets, but whether
meant to be illustrative of the
armour of that or a former era
is doubtful. In 1292, there is a
seal of Hugh le Despencer, with
a fan-like figure on the helmet
and on the horse's head. On the
helmet of Thomas, earl of
Leicester, beheaded in 1322, is
the figure of a dragon. On the
seals attached to written
documents of the 14th century,
it is very common to find crests
; and those most valuable
heraldic remains of antiquity,
medals, intaglios, and gems,
afford abundant proof that the
helmet generally bore a crest.

EDWARD III

Some writers are of opinion
that our brave Edward III. was
the first who introduced such a
device ; and that, after the
institution of the Order of the
Garter, every knight adopted
this ornament, in imitation of
their heroic sovereign; but,
from the foregoing citations,
borne out by many corroborative
circumstances, it seems
unquestionable, that, from the
time of the Romans to the
present day, the wearing of
crests, though not used
hereditarily, has suffered very
little, if any, interruption.

Among the Egyptians," says
Nisbet, " none were allowed to
use crests and cognizances, but
those that were eminent ;
neither did the Romans permit
them to be used by any under the
degree of knight." Anciently,
these devices were arbitrarily
taken up, and were not fixed and
hereditary marks of families, as
afterwards; but, it seems
generally supposed that their
use sowed the first seeds of
armoury in general.

Crests have frequently been
assumed, or granted, to
perpetuate the memory of some
eminent action performed by the
bearer, or his progenitors ; or,
to represent some special office
or employment ; or, as bearing
some analogy, in sound or
otherwise, to the name, or
title, of the assumer or
grantee. But, instances are much
more numerous of particular
crests being assumed, and worn
from century to century, (as an
eagle's head, or any other
simple emblem,) without any
intelligible origin, or
accountable cause.

Crests of the kind to which
we have alluded, as being
referable to some eminent action
of the bearer, or as relating to
his name or designation, are of
a class which would be certain
to be hereditary ; but, in
general, this was not any rule
in the heraldry of crests, which
were reputed no other than as
arbitrary ornaments of coats
armorial, and more of the nature
of a device than a axed
hereditary bearing. Hence, many
families of the same stock and
name used, and still use,
different crests, according to
their fancy or circumstances, to
illustrate particular
dispositions, or on other
accounts ; the science of
heraldry, by the practice of all
nations, having allowed a
freedom to change the crest,
though not the coat-armorial.

The custom of conferring
crests as marks of distinction
seems to have originated with
king Edward III., who, in 1333,
granted to William Montacute,
earl of Salisbury, his " tymbre,"
as it was termed, of the eagle.
By a further ordinance in the
13th of the same king, this
grant was made hereditary, and
the manor of Wodeton given to
support its dignity.

As an appendage to sepulchral
monuments, crests are placed
beneath the head of the armed
effigy, attached to the helmet.
Upon many of the large
altar-tombs so frequent in the
16th and 17th centuries, those
both of the man's and of his
wife's family are carved at the
feet of the recumbent figures.
Instances of crests formed of
feathers may be seen in that of
Sir Henry Percy, in the time of
Edward I., and in that of Sir
John Harsick, of the time of
Richard II., both engraved in
Dr. Meyrick's celebrated work on
" ancient armour."

LADIES & THE CREST

It has long been a rule that
ladies, of whatever rank, are
not entitled to crests, though
allowed to bear coats armorial.
The reason assigned for this is,
that no woman could have availed
herself of their primary use ;
but it seems to have been
forgotten that a woman is quite
as incapable of bearing a shield
as a helmet ; and it must be
admitted that there is an
inconsistency in this rule of
heraldry, for which it is
difficult satisfactorily to
account. By custom, however,
women are excluded from bearing
a crest. As to the proper
position of the crest, it
differs according to the rank of
the bearer. By commoners, and
all below the peerage, the crest
is placed above the helmet, and
the latter resting on the
shield. Peers carry the coronet
on the shield, and the helmet
and crest above the coronet.
But, with either class, the
helmet is frequently omitted
altogether.

There remain but few words to
be added on the subject of
crests. Originally of the
highest importance, conceded by
royal grant, and confined to
very few persons, in process of
time their assumption has become
universal.

THE WREATH/TORSE

The wreath was a kind of
roll, made of two pieces of silk
of different colours, twisted
together, which the ancient
knights wore as a head-dress
when habited for tournaments.
The colours were regulated by
the fancy of the wearer, the
tinctures of his arms, or the
choice of some favourite lady.
They were most usually taken
from the principal metal and
colour of the coat of arms. The
practice of several centuries
has now attached the wreath to
the crest and helmet : its
proper position being between
the two. The helmet is
frequently dispensed with, but
the wreath is always used for
the crest to rest on, unless it
be supported by a coronet, or a
cap of state.

MOTTOS

Mottos, devices, and
war-cries, are very generally
used as an addition to the arms
or crest ; frequently to both.
The meaning of many of them is
now lost, though their origin
and elucidation have occupied
much of the attention of
antiquaries. The device and
motto are distinguished from
each other. The motto, properly
speaking, has no relation either
to the name or the arms of the
bearer ; but is simply an
expression, or saying, carried
in a scroll under or above the
arms. The device was a private
emblem, being properly a figure
without explanation ; the motto
a public one, being a word or
saying without a figure. Devices
originated in the tournaments.
where they were used as
temporary emblems of
distinction, instead of the
proper crest. After the
solemnity, the crest was resumed
; but instances are not uncommon
of these devices being retained
as the permanent crests of their
adopters.

Little regard is now paid to
these distinctions, and the
motto now in use may be
described as a word, or saying,
usually of the nature of a
proverb or epigraph, expressive
of some predominant passion,
moral or religious sentiment,
and frequently having some
reference to part of the
achievement, or to some action
performed by the bearer. Mottos,
though hereditary in the
families that first adopted
them, have been changed on some
particular occasions, and others
assumed in their stead,
instances of which are
frequently met with in
genealogical history.

So…it is written.

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